Latch mechanism for fire-doors.



W. B. GERVAIS & M. GILMORE. LATGHMEGHANISM POP. FIRE DOORS.

APPLICATION FILED MAB.. 17, 1913.

Patented Mar. 1'7,r 1914.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH C0., WASHINGTON. D. C.

STATES ra er ion.

WAINWRIGrI-IT IB. GERVAIS AND lVIILLl-IRLD` GILMORE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORS 'IO VARIETY MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

LATCH IVIECHANISM FOR FIRE-DOORS.

Original application filed September 9, 1912, Serial No. 719,343.

Serial No. 754,759;

To all whom t may concern Be 1t known that we, VAINwniGHT B. GERVAIS and MILLARD GILMORE, citizens of .the United States, residing at Chicago, in

`which the following is a specification.

This invention relates particularly to firedoors of the type in which the upper and lower Vdoor-sections are adapted to counterbalance each other, such doors being especially useful in connection with the shafts of freight elevators.

The primary object of the invention is to provide improved latch-mechanism for doors of this character, whereby the lower door-section will be not only latched to the door-guides, but also to the upper doorsection.

The present application constitutes a division of our application No. 719,343, filed September 9, 1912.

The invention is illustrated in its preferred embodiment in the accompanying drawing, in which,-d

Figure 1 represents an inner broken elevational view of the wall of an elevatorshaft provided with a door equipped with latch-mechanism in accordance with our invention; Fig. 2, a broken vertical sectional view taken as indicated at line 2 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3,v a broken section taken as indicated at line 3 of Fig. 2.

In the construction illustrated, A represents the wall of an elevator-shaft; B, Bf vertical guides connected with the inner surface of said wall and extending along the lateral margins of the door-opening (not shown); C, C', lower and upper door-sections, respectively, movable in the guides B, B', said lower and upper door-sections being joined by connections C2, whereby said sections serve to counter-balance each other; and D, latching mechanism connected with the lower door-section and serving to secure the lower door-section to the guides and also to the upper door-section.

The wall, guides, and door-sections may be of any approved construction. rEhe counterbalancing connections C2 include chains 1 passing` over1 rollers 2 carried by the guides; and rods 3 connecting the chains with arms Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 17, 1914.

Divided and this application led March L1 with which the lower door-section is equipped near its upper corners.

The lower door-section is shown equipped at its upper margin with an angle-bar 5 having an outstanding flange 5a; and the upper door-section is shown equipped at its lower margin with an angle-bar 6 having an outstanding flange 6n adapted to bear against the flange 52L when the door-sections are together. Also, the angle-bar G is shown equipped with an astragal 7 adapted to overlie the angle-bar 5 in the closed position of the door-sections.

The latch-mechanism D preferably cornprises latch-bars 8 whose outer ends extend through guides 9 at the lateral edges of the lower door-section, near the upper corners of said door-section, and whose inner ends are connected, by pivots 10, with a centrally located disk 11, which is connected, by a pivot 12, with the central upper portion of the lower door-section C; a handle 13 rigidly connected with said disk; a spring 14: adapted to rotate the disk to the position in which the latch bars are in the locking position; stops 15 carried by the guides B, B and co-acting with the outer ends of the latch-bars S; and a cent-ral latch D co-acting with the latch-mechanism thus far described and serving to secure the door-sections together. The outer ends of the latchbars 8 are beveled, and the inner surfaces of the stops 15 are beveled, so that the latchbars will automatically pass the stops 15 when the door-sections are moved to the closed position.

The central latch-device D comprises a pawl or latch-member 16 supported on a pivot 17 carried by a bracket 18 mounted on the flange 6a of the upper door-section; and a spring 19 adapted to force the member 16 into locking engagement with the flange 5a of the lower door-section. To enable this engagement to be automatically effected when the door-sections are broughttogether, the pawl 16 has its nose-portion beveled or rounded, as shown at 16a; and the pawl has a locking-shoulder 16b adapted to engage the lower surface of the flange 5a. One of the latch-bars 8 is equipped with a cam 20 which is adapted to engage the nose of the pawl 16 and effect release of said pawl, when the disk 11 is turned through the medium of the F handle 13 to effect release of the latch-bars 8 from engagement with the stops 15 carried by the guides B,B. At the point where the disk 11 is connected with the lower door-secsection and adapted to engage said stops, action, a brass washer 21 is interposed; and at the points where the latch-bars 8 are connected with the disk, brass washers 22 are interposed.

The door may be opened by turning the disk 11 through the medium of the handle 13, and thereby releasing the latch-bars from engagement with the stops 15 and at the same time releasing, through the medium of the cam 20, the pawl 16 from engagement with the flange 5a of t-he lower door-section. This permits the door-sections to be separated in the usual way, the door-sections counterbalancing each other. I/Vhen the door-sections are closed, the latch-mechanisms automatically act to latch the lower door-section to the guides and latch the upper door-section to the lower door-section. When the door-sections are together, they are bound together at their meeting edges by tzhe latch-member 1G and to the astragal It will be understood from the foregoing, that by employing the central latch-device, associated with the latch-mechanism which serves to lock the lower door-section to the door-guides, an additional safety feature is secured, inasmuch as the lower door-section is at the same time latohed to the upper door-section. Moreover, the central latching device serves to prevent sagging and separation of the door-sections under normal conditions of use, as well as in case of fire.

The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness of understanding, and no unnecessary limitation should be understood therefrom.

What we regard as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a construction of the character set forth, the combination of a pair of guides, upper and lower door-sections movable in said guides, stops carried by said guides, latch-bars connected with the lower doorsection and adapted to engage said stops, actuating means for the latch-bars, an automatically locking intermediate latch-inember carried by one of said door-sections and engaging the other door-section, and means serving to release said last-named latchmember during the operation of withdrawing the latch-bars from latching \engage ment.

2. In a construct-ion of the character set forth, the combination of a pair of guides, upper and lower door-sections movable in said guides, stops carried by said guides, latch-bars connected with the lower doortuating means for the latch-bars, an automatically locking intermediate latch-member connected with the lower portion of the central latch-member carried by one of said` door-sections and engaging the other doorsection, and means for simultaneously withdrawing said latch-bars and releasing said central latch-member.

4. In a construction ofthe character set forth, the combination of a pair of guides, upper and lower door-sections movable in said guides, stops carried by said guides, latch-bars carried by the lower door-section and engaging said stops, means for actuating said latch-bars, an automatically locking central latch-member carried by the upper door-section and engaging the lower doorsection, and a cam carried by one of said latch-bars serving to release said central latch-member in the operation of withdrawing the latch-bars.

5. In a construction of the character set forth, the combination of a pair of guides, upper and lower door-sections movable in said guides, stops carried by said guides, latching mechanism serving to secure the lower door-section to said guides, and an automatically locking latch-device serving to secure the door-sections together and adapted to be released in the operation of releasing the lower door-section from the guides.

G. In a construction of the character set forth, the combination of a pair of guides, upper and lower door-sections movable in said guides, the lower section being provided esV at its upper margin with an outstanding Hange, and an automatically locking central latch-member carried by the lower portion of the upper door-section and engaging said outstanding flange when the door-sections are in theclosed position. r

IVAINl/VRIGI-IT B. GERVAIS. MILLARD GILMORE. In presence of- L. HEISLAR, JULIUS LANDESMAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

